Pistons: There's no beef with Bulls
AUBURN HILLS -- The last time the Pistons played the Bulls, Feb. 24 to be precise, the game turned into a soap opera. There were technical fouls galore. Rip Hamilton was tossed for jawing with Kirk Hinrich. Bulls coach Scott Skiles yelled at the Pistons. Pistons coach Flip Saunders also fumed.

[Oakland Press]​

Bulls have had run-ins with Pistons
"Rip gets into it with everybody," Hunter said. "It's not like it's anything personal. It's just Rip. We don't have anything going with them. Maybe they have something going with us. We just play whoever is on the schedule."

Maybe so, but the Bulls do play a lot feistier now that they've crept back toward respectability under the direction of the irascible Skiles.

[MLive.com]​

Pistons keeping tabs on Hoiberg
AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons have had talks with Fred Hoiberg about joining the team, but you might want to hold off on placing an order for a Hoiberg Pistons jersey. While the Pistons won't rule out the possibility of signing the 33-year-old guard, Hoiberg's best chance of becoming a Piston will probably come next season when a roster spot becomes available.

It is rumored that Isiah Thomas is secretly coveting the soon-to-be-vacant Indiana Hoosiers head-coaching job and that he was spotted today entering the offices of the IU president. As a lifelong Michigan fan, all I can say is "please."

Detroit Free Press: "Veteran shooting guard Fred Hoiberg, who underwent open-heart surgery in the off-season and hasn't played since, flew to Detroit on Tuesday night, pacemaker and all, to visit with Dumars and coach Flip Saunders about potentially joining the Pistons for the stretch run."

Detroit Free Press: "Nicknamed 'Crash' for his all-out hustle and reckless abandon in diving for loose balls, 6-foot-2 guard John Mengelt was a fan favorite, electrifying the Pistons' crowd at Cobo Arena from 1972-76 with his aggressive play."

"Less than two weeks after the Detroit Pistons and the Bulls turned back the clock to their wars of a couple of decades ago — one player was ejected and eight technical fouls were whistled during a Feb. 24 game at the United Center — the Central Division rivals are scheduled to butt heads again tonight."

See if you can decipher the below song lyrics, and then tell me what they have to do with our Pistons.
We're heading for Venus and still we stand tall
Cause maybe they've seen us and welcome us all
With so many light years to go and things to be found
I'm sure that we'll all miss her so.
from [...]

Pistons stave off Bulls
"I thought we had terrible energy, terrible passion in the first half," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "Just seemed very much disinterested. Then we picked things up, played with more energy, got the lead."

Saunders seeks more discipline
Coming into the game, the Pistons were 30-for-77 from three-point range in the past three games, with only 32.5 rebounds per game. Against the Bulls the Pistons had 43 rebounds and shot 8-for-17 from three-point range.

[Detroit Free Press]​

Pistons rally past Bulls, clinch berth
"That fourth quarter was kind of fun, actually," said guard Chauncey Billups, who led the Pistons with 27 points, making four of five three-pointers. "It was a shootout. That team -- I really have a lot of respect for that team. They play so hard. You gotta beat them. You gotta take it to them."

This time, 3s please Saunders
....Unlike rookies Amir Johnson and Alex Acker, who were allocated to the NBA Development League, rookie Jason Maxiell has impressed the coaching staff enough that he likely won't be sent to the minors. "He's a guy that plays hard," said Saunders. "He's got the great attitude. Very aggressive to the rim, and continues to learn to play against guys like Ben (Wallace) and 'Sheed and those guys. Unlike Johnson and Acker, Saunders said, if Maxiell had to play due to an injury to another Pistons, the staff would feel comfortable to "put him in the game, and he could be productive for us."

[MLive.com]​

Sheed clutch in win over Bulls
Wallace, who had 25 points, scored the last four points for the Pistons - all from the free throw line. He also came up with a steal with less than a minute to play with the Pistons clinging to a one-point lead at the time.

Pistons lock up playoff berth
Carlos Delfino only had two points on Wednesday, but his play in the third quarter was one of the keys to the Pistons pulling away for the win. His playing time in the third came about because Tayshaun Prince suffered a knee injury early in the quarter when he bumped knees with Chicago's Tyson Chandler. Prince was able to return in the fourth.

"It's strange because sometimes, you never know when you go on the court," said Delfino, who played solid defense on Chicago's Ben Gordon in addition to tallying two steals in the quarter. "I try to wait for that moment when I go on to the court and try to bring something." *

[Chicago Sun-Times]​

Good isn't good enough
The teams have similar makeups -- both are defense-oriented with no main scoring threat -- but it's obvious the Bulls have a lot of growing to do before they truly can mirror the Pistons. ''They're on a level we're not even near yet, although we can play with them on a given night,'' Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. ''What are they, 49-11? I guess 'aspire' would be the right word.''

[Foxsports.com]​

Team Report
When the Pistons signed veteran guard Tony Delk last week, they expected him to serve as a backup point guard or a mere insurance policy. So far, he has been neither of the above. Coach Flip Saunders has employed Delk as a shooting guard in his first three games with the Pistons, siphoning minutes away from Carlos Delfino and Maurice Evans. Against Seattle on Friday, Saunders paired Lindsey Hunter and Delk together. In Detroit's past two outings, he played Delk with starter Chauncey Billups. Delk, who is sure to see more action against Washington Saturday, is averaging 10 minutes per game.

While the Pistons and Bulls may or may not ultimately meet in the first round of the NBA playoffs, Detroit's Automotion and Chicago's Luvabulls are squaring off in the first-round of the NBA Dance Team Bracket as we speak.

Following a grueling stretch of eight games in 12 days after the All-Star break, the Pistons got three off-days to catch their collective breaths. Back in action Wednesday night, they rebounded from two road losses in their last three games with a 106-101 triumph over the Chicago Bulls at The Palace.

The Chicago Bulls shot 53% from the field and 56% from three last night against the Pistons. They also won the battle of the boards, 42-35. They also lost, 106-101.
So how did these Pistons, who shot 44% (fg) and 47% (3-point), pull out their 49th victory of the season with [...]

Saunders wants to see more rebounds
"I think some times, depending on what we're doing, if you defend the three, you're overextended. It opens up some longer-type rebounds. And those are the ones we have not been getting. We've got to get more rebounds out of our one, two and three, that's the positions that have to rebound better."

[Detroit Free Press]​

Wizards' Arenas: Bring on Pistons
Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas joined the Jermaine O'Neal club Thursday, telling ESPN that he'd like to see the 49-11 Pistons in the first round of the playoffs ... Arenas' desires, however, are based on something a little more personal -- revenge for lack of playing time.

[MLive.com]​

Delk learning to play point in Saunders' system
"I don't think it's that difficult," said Delk, who was signed by Detroit earlier this month after he was waived by Atlanta. "It's more coming down (court), having guys in the right position. With this team, guys pretty much know where to be."

[NBA.com]​

Patriots rout Flame
The Fayetteville Patriots rebounded from a lethargic opening six minutes - thanks to a timely timeout and a stern talking-to by coach Mike Brown - and rolled to a 135-95 win over the Florida Flame on Thursday night. [NOTE: Amir Johnson was team high scorer/rebounder with 22 and 10 in 28 minutes. Alex Acker had 13 and 4 assists]

Former Piston Mike James–Lindsey Hunter's fellow pitbull on the '04 championship squad–has finally busted out of his journeyman shell this season with the Raptors. CBS.Sportsline's Tony Mejia breaks down James' meager past and his money future. Not only is James up for free-agency after this season, but he'll have virtually no [...]

With six weeks left in the NBA regular season, the MVP race is in the homestretch. Right now it looks to be a battle between Suns point guard Steve Nash, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, Pistons guard Chauncey Billups and Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki.

Nash seemed to have the most votes among his peers at All-Star Weekend. Even Allen Iverson and Elton Brand, two other top candidates, said they would probably go with Nash if the voting were held that day. But there were plenty of other dissenting voices, such as Jerry Stackhouse (who went with Billups), and Billups (who went with ... Billups).

I cannot believe that it took us until now to pick up on this story. According to today's Free Press, Bullets guard Gilbert Arenas has stated that he'd like to play the Pistons in the first round of the NBA playoffs in order to exact revenge on Flip Saunders.
"What g*damned reason could [...]

Carlos Delfino makes trip in support of cornerstone schools
“For me this is great for me because we are in touch with the Hispanic community. From when I was a child, I needed somebody to look up to and to be like. This is also great for the kids. Giving inspiration to the kids is the best part of my job. When the kids spoke it in Spanish, it was exciting.” (Note: Carlos was also excited about taking home some authentic Mexican chow)

[MLive.com]​

Disdain for defeat drives Pistons to the top
Said Ben Wallace: "When you lose, you go through a whole lot of different things. Food don't taste right. The sound in your car don't sound right. Your trip to the gym is longer. It's all a part of losing."

Pistons Bulletin: Expect Pistons to pass on Hoiberg; rookies on fire
Folks around the NBA are finally starting to see why the Pistons were so giddy over drafting Amir Johnson and Alex Acker in the second round of last June's NBA draft. While both guys are putting up impressive numbers in the D-League, what has impressed many in the NBA with the two is how they have brought a winning mindset to one of the worst teams in the D-League, and how that mindset has translated into victories.

[Washington Post]​

Wizards Are Looking for a Repeat of Earlier Victory Over the Pistons
(Registration Required) When the teams met at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Nov. 25, the Wizards played one of their best all-around games and pulled out a 120-114 double-overtime victory. "They're the best team in the league right now and we're one of the teams that beat them," said Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas.

Pistons Feel That If It's Not Broken, Keep Winning
(Registration Required) The Pistons are the only team that has had the same starting lineup for all 60 games this season, which has contributed to much of their success. Such continuity is hardly the norm in a league filled with constant roster turnover, but Dumars said he has had no trouble keeping this team together.

"It's actually pretty easy because, when you make a change, you make it out of necessity and there has not been any reason to make any moves in terms of our starting five," Dumars said.

NBA Notebook
The New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls are subscribing to the theory that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Or maybe they're just looking for some luck. The Knicks will wear green uniforms for the first time when they host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, and the Bulls will be decked out in green the next day when they host the Miami Heat.

[Detroit Free Press]​

Fifty victories not a significant milestone
Saunders said the Pistons will likely leave rookies Alex Acker and Amir Johnson in the NBDL until the team returns from next week's trip to Toronto, New York and Charlotte. ... Saunders also said there is no update on talks with guard Fred Hoiberg, who is considering a return to the NBA with the Pistons after off-season heart surgery.

[Foxsports.com]​

Bryant, Billups will be key for Team USA
Bryant and Billups are clutch shooters, excellent passers, and incredibly skilled, as well as being strong defenders. On an international stage, Kobe will play much more unselfishly than ever before, while Billups' mature decision-making is unsurpassed. In fact, Bryant and Billups will not only be the squads' most important guards, but will be nothing less than the keys to Team USA's success.

Pistons' board work has slipped this year
Though the Pistons are trying to run more this season than they did under Larry Brown's guidance, Saunders doesn't buy that as an excuse. "We don't want to leak out," he said. "That's one of the things we talk about to our guards sometimes. We've got to get more rebounds out of our ones, twos and threes."

[NBA.com]​

Pistons seek 50th win against slumping Wizards
The Detroit Pistons can become the first team in the NBA to reach 50 wins when they visit the sliding Washington Wizards on Saturday. Owners of the best record in the NBA this season, the Pistons, who have won 54 games each of the last two seasons, would match their franchise best of five straight 50-win seasons with a victory.

Pistons hope loss will motivate them
The way Chauncey Billups sees it, getting pummeled by the Washington Wizards 110-92 on Saturday might be one of the best things that happened to the Pistons this season. "For whatever reason, I think we felt like we were going to coast to the finish line and not do what we've been doing all season to be looked at as the best team in the league," Billups said. "We have gotten away from what we do a little bit. Guys are looking too far ahead to the playoffs. You know, we are so far ahead in the East that maybe we've let up."

McDyess has nose for work
From McDyess' standpoint, he wants to do more. He concedes that the broken nose has set him back. He was going to have surgery last week but decided against it. He had been playing at a high level before he took a hard shot in the face in New Jersey on Jan. 31 .... When asked if the nearly four minutes less per game made a significant difference, he said, "Yeah, it does. It makes a difference to me. From 19 to 23, that's totally different. But I'm just taking it in stride and waiting for the playoffs."

[Detroit Free Press]​

Pistons fall to Wizards -- again
The Wizards won by shooting 55 percent, including 59 percent through the first three quarters. They led by six at halftime and then pulled away, scoring the first eight points of the second half to build a 14-point lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Antonio Daniels and Antawn Jamison then put Washington in full control.

[Washington Post]​

Wizards Stun the Pistons Again
(Registration Required) With a little less than six minutes remaining and the Wizards ahead by 23 points, a fan sitting behind the home team's bench rose and yelled, "We own you, Detroit!"

[Washington Times]​

NBA's best goes down
The beating was so complete that when an altercation broke out in section 116 with just more than six minutes left, the 20-point lead the Wizards held could do nothing to distract the gaze of most of the 20,173 fans, mostly because the game was over long before the scuffle.

[Fayetteville Observer]​

Patriots' defense holds Flame at bay
The Flame was especially vulnerable inside against Fayetteville’s post players Rickert, Kevin Lyde, Ryan Randle and Amir Johnson. That foursome combined for 37 points and 35 rebounds in the game. Johnson, the 18-year-old NBA rookie who is on assignment from the Detroit Pistons, scored 18 points and had six rebounds in 29 minutes of work. [NOTE: Alex Acker didn't fare so well, with 9 points and 4 assists on 3-10 shooting]

Pressure defense returns
It wasn't the most awe-inspiring of victories, but for the Pistons, their 94-78 romp over the Charlotte Bobcats Sunday represented the first step on the road to recovery .... Rasheed Wallace , who contributed 10 points, two blocks and two steals, might have made his best play in pregame warm-ups. He stood at the top of the key with a ball in each hand and shot each at the same time. Swish and swish.

[Detroit Free Press]​

Pistons step up 'D', get 50th
If there were a 12-step program for struggling basketball teams, the Detroit Pistons would be at about Step 3 in the recovery process. They took Step 1 and admitted they have a problem after getting sautéed on Saturday in Washington. And Sunday, they took Step 2, and reaffirmed their core identity as a defensive-minded team.

Pistons Corner: Focus now on shaking March swoon
"Listen, I've said many times, there's teams that are bad teams in this league, but there aren't bad players," he said. "Any night you give them a comfort level, they're going to go out and beat you."

[Charlotte Observer]​

Observations
Looking back, it's astounding the Bobcats beat the Pistons twice last season. Not a single Detroit starter is inferior to his Charlotte counterpart and the benches at best are even.

[NBA.com]​

Patriots rally to top Toros
Acker and Daniels scored 23 apiece, while Acker's Pistons teammate Amir Johnson added 21. "I like that kid Acker," said Toros coach Dennis Johnson, the Boston Celtics great who played at Pepperdine in the early seventies. "I've followed his career for a while, watched him a lot on TV. He's silky smooth and he plays with a lot of confidence."

Who's hot: Newcomer Tony Delk seems to be getting more comfortable as his playing time increases. In his last two games, Delk has averaged 13.5 points per game in just 18.5 minutes per game. On Sunday, nine of Delk's 11 points off the bench came during a critical second-quarter stretch that helped the Pistons gain control of the game.

Actually it was both, doing in the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday. First, Gerald Wallace strained a calf muscle four minutes into the game. Then, Detroit Pistons guard Rip Hamilton (24 points) had three baskets and an assist in a 9-0 run leading to a 94-78 win.

As Ian pointed out on Friday, I was able to make the trek down to D.C. this weekend to join some friends for the Pistons-Wizards tilt at the Verizon Center. We had pretty good seats, the first row of the second level from the opposite diagonal of the Pistons bench — Section 413, Row A, [...]

I didn't actually watch Sunday's Pistons-Bobcat game — unlike the Pistons, I didn't have Roundball One waiting for me after Saturday's game, and I was still driving when they took the court on Sunday. But just looking at the box score, it was nice to see that Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince picked up where [...]